Hawaii (Part 1)
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
Hawai’ian spirituality has its roots in ancient Polynesia. The ancestors of the people of Hawai’i were Polynesian explorers, considered to be the greatest explorers and navigators of the ancient world. They came to the Hawai’ian islands some 2000 years ago by boat, guided by Makani, the life-giving spirit of the air, in what we call the trade winds. Wind is the source of life in Polynesian spirituality, associated with the breath, also called Ha, and bringing the god Lono, the god of fertility and healing, as well as the spirit of aloha, the foundation of Hawai’ian culture. Aloha means “with breath,” and is commonly translated as “love.”
Kahuna is a Hawai’ian term used to indicate a person who is a master of their craft, usually someone who embodies knowledge of the old ways, whether it be canoe building, playing music, hula dancing, healing, soul work, or any other valued skill passed down through generations. Some of the kahuna who are masters in the art of healing are shaman, who work with mana, or life force energy, and who use chant, music and dance to reach altered states of consciousness in order to travel between the worlds, retrieving souls, helping spirits cross over, and doing healing work. The chanting, dancing, and drumming, which is central to Hawai’ian spirituality, is an expression of the intention and desire to blend energy with, and express oneness with, the natural world, the wind, the rhythm of the ocean waves, Pele's voice in the rumbling volcano, and the sounds of birds and other animals. Through this practice, the Kahuna can connect with the underlying energies of the islands, the spiritual energies, and from these sources, draw mana to help others.
Some of the concepts central to Hawai’ian spirituality are:
Aloha: The true root meaning of this word is very similar to “Namaste," a Sanskrit word translated as I bow before the god within you. Alo means “in the presence of," and ha means “breath of life,” so an aloha greeting acknowledges the presence of the creator within both people, and the oneness and love that exists within and between them.
Ohana: This word refers to family, as in extended family, mother, father, children, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and all ancestors, as well as all things in creation, on earth, in the sea, and in the sky.
Amakua: The source, or origin spirit. Each family began as an Amakua, the original spirit of the family line. The Amakua is ritually fed and nurtured by the family, and prayed to daily. The Amakua connection is considered vital to the health and well-being of the family. The Amakua is present at birth and death, and guides the soul through these transitions. Every family has an Amakua spirit, which connects all family members as one.
I’AO: Infinite Light, the Eternal Creator. The original parent of Hawai’ian gods and goddesses.
Mana: Subtle life force energy emanating from all things in creation, same as chi, or prana. Kahuna healers store and direct mana to establish balance and help others.
Pono: Balance and harmony, alignment with source. Right actions, right thoughts, and right words maintain pono. When all things maintain proper interaction, balance and harmony are realized through the free flow of mana.
Serge Kahili is a Hawaiian healer who practices Huna, a modern healing system based on ancient Hawaiian spirituality. Huna means hidden, and refers to esoteric, highly protected Hawaiian practices of spirituality and healing. Kahili is the founder of Aloha International, a group dedicated to teaching these powerful practices, and sharing the highly effective methods of healing and good living, in pono, and with the aloha spirit.
According to Serge Kahili, www.alohainternational.org, there are seven basic principles or assumptions of Huna, and they are:
1. The World Is What You Think It Is
2. There are no limits.
3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes
4. Now Is The Moment Of Power
5. To Love Is To Be Happy With
6. All Power Comes From Within
7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth
Kahili also describes the four aspects of the self, essentially archetypes, that effect human behavior and experience, and through which healing and balance can be maintained. They are described below, along with their functions.
1. The High Self (Kane, Aumakua), inspires.
2. The Conscious Self (Lono) imagines.
3. The Subconscious Self (Ku) remembers.
4. The Core Self (Kanaloa) wills.
These can be seen to correspond with the lower, middle, and upper worlds so widespread in shamanism, and adds an inner world as well.
He goes on to describe how the Huna practitioner learns to navigate these different selves, in order to align and balance them. He also describes four different dimensions or levels of reality which are mastered by the Huna practitioner in order to effectively help others. These are:
1. Everything is objective (Scientific reality).
2. Everything is subjective (Psychic reality).
3. Everything is symbolic (Shamanic reality).
4. Everything is holistic (Mystical reality).